Coming of Age
by NATFreak
Summary: A young snow lepress finds herself on a new planet fully grown, but only physically, not mentally. She will go through many lessons and find that there is more to coming of age then just morals and strength as she finds herself falling in love. R&R!
1. Reunions

**Disclaimer****:** Fine since this is my first of this story, I do not, unfortunately, own the Thundercats. If I did, I'd meet Will Friedle.

**A/N: Okay, a little flashback here. When I was a little kid I remember watching Thundercats. I remembered that I loved it and that it was awesome. So I started rewatching it and it is epic! So here's a fanfic with an OC, though I promise not to make her a Mary Sue. Here goes! Enjoy!**

_'We must hurry.'_ _The leopard told her young 11 year old daughter, grasping her paw with her own as they raced down a hallway to the shuttles taking off outside. The floor beneath their feet rumbled and shook as they waded through a crowd of frightened people. 'It isn't safe here.'_

_'What's happening mother?' Her daughter demanded. She was a young snow leopard with short black hair speckled with grey and emerald eyes. 'Is Thundera being attacked?'_

_'Yes.' Her mother answered as the snow leopard's eyes grew wide, the lepress knelt down to look her in the eye with comfort and strength. 'But you mustn't be afraid my daughter. Alright?'_

_'Where are we going?' _

_'To the shuttles.' Se answered her cub as they hurried. 'I'm getting you off this rock if it's the last thing I do.'_

_'You're coming with me right? Mother?' Her cub asked, no reply. 'Mother? Mother?_

"Snow Lepress." a robotic voice called her, awakening her from her memories as she shook her head to clear her thoughts and looked down at a robotic bear called a berbil. "Are you alight?"

"Y-yes. I'm fine." She assured him, smiling kindly. "Guess I'm still a little groggy from being in the suspension capsule."

The berbil nodded. "It has only been two days."

The snow lepress nodded back as her thoughts turned inward before being broken by the sounds of a commotion behind them in the village.

"What on earth is going on?" she murmured curiously as they headed back to the main of the village where all the berbil residents were crowding around two new comers. _Who could have come here? I better get a closer look. They might be dangerous and I do not want anyone or anything to hurt these kind berbils._

Gently nudging her way through the crowd, she saw a rather small, round cat with red, white, and yellow fur, big ears, and a long tail.

_It can't be._ thought Snow Lepress. _Snarf? It certainly looks like him. He hasn't changed much since I was a child. But if that's Snarf then-_

Her emerald eyes shifted from him to a young, tall adult lion with flaming red hair, a blue outfit, and orange eyes that she would have recognized anywhere. "Lion-O?"

The young lion, who had been conversing with Roberbil next to him turned at the sound of his name being spoken and met her gaze. At first with confusion which slowly turned to recognition as his orange eyes bore into her emerald ones, his upper lip curling up in a slight smile. "Who-wait, little lepress? Is that you?"

Her silver fur bristled at her old nickname as she crossed her spotted arms. "So it is you, lion cub."

"What? No hello?" He asked teasingly as she rolled her eyes before running forward and jumping into his arms smiling. "It's great to see you, Snow Lepress. We thought it was just us out here."

"Us?" She repeated. "Wait, are there others besides you and Snarf?"

"Yes. There's me, Snarf, Panthro, Cheetara, Tygra, and Wily Kit and Kat." He told her releasing her as she crossed her arms thoughtfully.

"So Jaga and your father are gone too." She summed up sadly.

"What about your mother?" Lion-O asked as the lepress' eyes turned sober.

"She gave up her life for my own." The snow lepress told him as she reached near her right leg and retrieved two tonfas, holding them out for him and Snarf to see. "She gave me her tonfas and placed me in a suspension capsule. I woke up a couple days ago and found myself fully grown and clothed in this black attire."

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely. "She was a mighty warrior and a great friend."

"Thank you, Lion-O." She murmured, putting her tonfas back in their holder on her right leg before straitening back up. "So how did you and the rest of the Thundercats survive?"

"Jaga put us in suspension capsules and we landed here." Snarf answered as they looked down at him.

"How did you get here?" inquired Lion-O as she looked at him curiously. "I mean, we did not see your ship when we arrived here. So how did you land here is what I should say."

"All I remember," she said slowly as she collected her thoughts, thinking back to that day when everything was chaos. Her mother was pulling her to the hanger through crowds of frightened civilians and onto her personal aircraft. The lepress shouted at the pilot to take off as she placed her young daughter in a capsule, tears lining her light green eyes then all went dark. "is my mother hurried me through crowds, onto our aircraft, and placed me in the capsule then... nothing."

"If I remember correctly," began Snarf as he stood up on two feet, his front two paws stroking his chin in thought. "Your mother's aircraft had an escape hatch. She must have launched you into space when she, along with the other ships behind us, caught fire."

"Yes, you're right." nodded Snow Lepress. "I remember now."

"So you landed here and were found by the Berbils." summed up Lion-O as she nodded.

"Yes, they have been extremely kind to me." she told them with a smile as they followed the Berbils around the village, showing them their candy fruit. "It is very peaceful here. It reminds me of Thundera."

"Why don't you join us, Snow Lepress?" he asked her as she suddenly stopped walking and looked away. "What's wrong?"

"I would gladly join you guys. It's just that," She murmured as he stopped as well and glanced over at her curiously. "I'm not that great of a fighter. I'm afraid I wouldn't be of any use to you."

"What? That's rid-" Lion-O began as a loud noise pierced the air. Lion-O looked quickly down at his right leg where the Sword of Omens with the Eye of Thundera was giving off a wail.

"Is that **the **Sword of Omens?" She asked, noticing it for the first time.

_Well duh, he __**is **__the Lord of the Thundercats now with his father gone._ She realized as he grasped the sword and raised it in front of his calling on the Eye to give him "sight beyond sight" then, after a moment, the eye went quiet and he lowered it. "What's wrong, Lion-O?"

"Danger." he replied simply as he sprinted to the outskirts of the city, Snarf and Snow Lepress on his heels as they saw a group of tall, grey creatures that were the mix of trolls and dogs with club like weapons. "What are those things?"

"They are Trollogs." Roberbil answered him in his robotic voice as the trollogs entered the village, the berbils fighting them off in vain with darts that just bounced off their skin. "They come here to steal our fruit all the time."

"I've never seen them before." argued the snow lepress as the beasts ran past them and to the trees where the fruit was. "Shouldn't we do something?"

"No, this is our home. We will defend it. You are guests here." he answered. "Besides, we do not like violence. We are a timid people."

"I'm sorry, but I can not just stand by and let these greedy beasts destroy your village and eat your fruit." Lion-O told him as he held up his sword. "Ho!"

The sword glowed as he swung it in a huge arc creating a force field that repelled the trollogs as he strode forward determinately until they ran away back to the mountains where their caves were.

_Lion-O, you've grown up._ Snow Lepress thought, a little breathless though she did not know why as he sheathed the sword and walked back toward them.

"I'm sorry for interfering." He apologized to the Berbils. "But they had no right to steal what was rightfully yours."

"Do not worry about us." replied Roberbil. "It's the trollogs I feel sorry for."

"Why?" asked Snow Lepress curiously.

"Because, my friends, " he told them. "They are the ones that have to go back empty handed to the Gigantors."

"The Gigantors?" repeated Snarf. "What are they, snarf?"

"They are gigantic ogre people that live in the mountains and make the trollogs get their fruit for them. If they don't they will punish the trollogs and may even come down here themselves." The berbil leader said matter-of-factly as the Eye of Thundera went off again.

"The Gigantors are coming down from their caves, snarf?" guessed the snarf as Lion-O lowered the sword and nodded. "What are we going to do, snarf?"

"Fight them off." he replied as he looked at Lepress who felt herself flush slightly at his gaze. "Though this time I'm going to need help, from **all **the Thundercats."

"All?" she repeated, though she knew who he meant.

"Yes, **all** of the Thundercats." He told her, gently. "That means you too, little lepress."

"I don't know, Lion-O." she murmured, averting her gaze as he walked over to her, put both hands on her shoulders, and looked down at her. "I don't know if I'm ready. I may look older, but I don't **feel **older. I don't know if I can-"

"I know you can." broke off Lion-O.

"How do you know?" She asked him, looking him in his orange confident eyes with her unsteady jade ones. "How, Lion-O?"

"Because I know you." He said simply, though his eyes and words still made her flush. What was up with that? They had known each other since they were cubs. Just because he had grown up didn't change things, did it? "You're a mighty warrior. You learned from the best after all."

_Mom._ She thought as she took a deep breath, nodded, and grasped her tonfas from their holder on her leg. She then stared up at Lion-O with a smile. "Let's do this then. Summon the others, Lord of the Thundercats."

He smiled back as the earth beneath their feet began to shake as they turned to see the Gigantors coming towards them. Without wasting any more time, Lion-O leapt onto a rock and called upon the sword to summon the others. "Thunder, thunder, thunder, thundercats ho!"

The Eye of Thundera growled and sent the Thundercat insignia into the sky. Snow Lepress could feel it give her strength and power as her eyes glowed and the Thundercat insignia on her outfit that her mother had left her in the pod glowed as well.

With that Lion-O and Snow Lepress battled the Gigantors and, with the help of their fellow Thundercats and the Eye of Thundera, they sent the giant beasts back to their home.

"I don't think that they'll be bothering you any time soon, Roberbil." Snow Lepress said as she and the berbil walked through the trees bearing the candy fruit.

"Thanks to you and the other Thundercats." he said. "You have to leave and go join them at Cat's Lair, once we finish it that is, am I correct?"

"Yes." She murmured. After the battle, the snow lepress had talked with the other Thundercats and they had decided, unanimously and whole-heartedly, that she join them after the Berbils, who agreed for saving them, to build a Cat's Lair here on Third Earth. "After all, I am one of them and it's time that I truly came of age and grew strong. Strong enough to protect those that I love."

"You mean like Lion-O." he stated making her blush. "I know by the way you look at him, and the way he looks at you."

"Lion-O and me? T-that's highly unlikely." She said trying to stay calm, though the thought made her heart race as she thought back to the way he had looked at her.

"But not impossible." noted the Berbil.

"He is Lord of the Thundercats. I'm just a warrior." She said.

"And why should that make a difference?" he asked as they headed out of the village and back towards the others. "Love knows no boundaries."

She said nothing as they reached the Thundercats and Lion-O glanced over at her with a smile and extended his hand.

_Could Roberbil be right?_ She wondered as she took his hand. _Is this another part of coming of age? Guess I'll find out. Watch over me, Mom. I promise to make you proud and be a great warrior like you, protecting those who I love._

**A/N: And there you have it! The first chapter of my first ever Thundercats fanfic! Hope you enjoyed it! Until next time! Read, review, and show the love!**


	2. The Stuff of Mutants and Mummies

Disclaimer: I do not own Thundercats. I do however own Snow Lepress and Lepress.

**A/N: Long time no see! To those who read this positively thank you. I hope you continue to read and enjoy Coming of Age. So, without further ado, here is the second chapter of my first ever Thundercats fanfiction. Enjoy!**

'…_press…Snow…Snow Lepress!' called a tall, muscular female leopard as she watched her cub's emerald eyes follow a male cub with a fiery red mane playing outside the window. 'Are you even trying to pay attention to your lesson?'_

'_Hmm? Oh, sorry Mother,' Snow Lepress murmured, turning her attention back to Lepress who was trying to teach her how to properly hold a pair of tonfas. 'I did not mean to… It's just that…'_

_Lepress sighed and waved a paw at her cub. 'Go.'_

_Her daughter's eyes brightened. 'Really?'_

'_We'll continue this lesson later.' Her mother told her. 'Go, play, have fun.'_

_Snow grinned, repeatedly thanking her mother before she ran out of their makeshift training room. The male cub looked up at the sound of her footsteps and smiled._

'_Hey, little lepress,' He greeted, holding a round, red ball. 'Wanna play?'_

_Lepress watched the two cubs toss the ball back and forth from the window knowing that this peace, their innocence, would not last forever. That's why for now it was good to let cubs be cubs because, before you know it, they'll be all grown up._

~ Coming of Age ~

Snow Lepress groaned as the bright, golden rays of the rising sun filled her plain, small bedroom. She tossed and turned in her bed until she finally gave up and threw off her blanket. She sat up, rubbing her tired eyes, and yawned before jumping off her bed. She grabbed her black and green outfit off her nightstand, got dressed, and sheathed her tonfas in a leather strap on her right thigh before walking out the door, nearly hitting Snarf and Lion-O in the process.

"Whoops, sorry lion cub," She apologized, covering her mouth as she yawned again.

"Still tired, little lepress?" Lion-O asked, cocking a red eyebrow.

"A little," She admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "I've been having a lot of… strange dreams lately."

"Strange how?"

"I've been having a lot of dreams about my mother and about the day Thundera…fell," She told him as she looked at the floor, fully aware of how close they were standing.

Lion-O looked down at Snarf, nodding at Snow as if asking him what he should do. Snarf shrugged. Lion-O sighed, crossing his arms in thought.

"You want to take a walk?" he asked at last. "See how the Lair's coming around?"

Snow nodded, raising her head. "Sounds good. Let's go see how our little friends the Berbils are doing."

Lion-O led the way as they took a tour of the almost finished Cats' Lair. "The Lair's just about done, huh."

"Yep," She replied. "Makes it all seem so official."

Lion-O did not reply, his thoughts turning inwards.

Snow glanced over at him, frowning at the overwhelmed look on his face. Lion-O put on a brave face most of the time, but inside he was just as nervous and overwhelmed as the rest of the Thundercats. Snow grasped his right paw with her left one, squeezing it comfortingly as her mother had when she was a cub.

Lion-O looked down at their paws then at Snow.

"Thank you, little lepress," he said quietly, smiling slightly as he squeezed back.

"Anytime, lion cub."

The two Thundercats continued walking down the hall and out the front entrance of the lair, taking the stairway down to where two frantic Thunderkittens were talking to Tygra, Panthro, and Cheetara.

"I wonder what's going on," murmured Snow.

"Let's go and find out," said Lion-O as they headed over to the other Thundercats.

"Calm down, Wily Kit and Wily Kat," Panthro said. "Now, start from the beginning."

"Morning everyone," greeted Snow. "What's going on?"

"The mutants are making the Brute Men build them their Castle Plun-Darr," said Wily Kat.

"Brute Men?" repeated Lion-O.

"From what the kittens are telling us, Brute Men are a gentle, simple-minded tribe who has been enslaved by the mutants to build what they call Castle Plun-Darr," Tygra said.

"That's horrible!" said Snow angrily. "We have to do something!"

"I've been meaning to give the Thundertank a real workout," said Panthro, jumping into the driver's seat of the Thundertank.

"Let's go Thundercats!" said Lion-O, pumping a clenched paw into the air.

"You two stay here with Snarf and guard the lair," said Tygra to Wily Kat and Kit who nodded dejectedly.

Lion-O jumped into the passenger's seat while Tygra, Cheetara, and Snow Lepress jumped into the back of the tank. After driving for a few minutes the Thundertank encountered a barricade and took it down with ease using its teeth and claws. The rest was taken down by a laser operated by Tygra.

"I'd say the Thundertank is passing her field test with flying colors," said Panthro as Cheetara and Snow Lepress stood up with Tygra in the open back of the tank as they reached Castle Plun-Darr.

"That must be Castle Plun-Darr," said Tygra as the Thundertank came to a stop.

"Yes, but there seems to be no one around," Snow said, glancing around. "I don't see any mutants or Brute Men."

"Let's take a look inside," said Lion-O.

"Cheetara, Tygra, and I will go in through the side," said Panthro as they got out and headed for the castle. "Lion-O and Snow Lepress, you two go through the front."

They all nodded and split into their two groups. Snow followed Lion-O up the steps of Castle Plun-Darr and through the front entrance, entering a small room with a door to their right where they could hear what sounded like voices.

"Someone's there! Beyond that door!" said Lion-O as he raced to the door. "It's locked."

"Here, let me," said Snow, grabbing one of her tonfas from its leather strap and hit the lock until it broke. She opened the door that lead to a cavern like room filled with cells that held the Brute Men.

The two Thundercats split up and let the Brute Men out who, instead of running back to their homes, swarmed them which wouldn't have been a problem since they weren't attacking that is until Snow started to feel strange, angry. The Brute Men turned aggressive, knocking Snow and Lion-O to the floor.

"What…was that?" asked Snow as she slowly got back on her feet, her head buzzing. "I felt strange, angry."

"So did I," said Lion-O as he got back on his feet the sword lit up, emitting a warning sound. Lion-O grasped the sword, raising it so that his eyes met the eye of Thundera. He asked the eye to give him sight, 'sight beyond sight'. "Panthro's in trouble."

"Then we have to help him," said Snow.

"Yes, but will the eye of Thundera pierce through stone?" the Lord of the Thundercats wondered, glancing at the sword then the ceiling then back to the sword. "Guess we'll soon see."

Lion-O raised the sword, calling the other Thundercats as the eye of Thundera pierced through the ceiling making the crest on Snow's outfit glow. The two cats then raced out of the castle to where Panthro was being surrounded by the Brute Men.

"Lion-O! Snow Lepress!" called Tygra as he and Cheetara caught up. "What's going on?"

"Panthro's being attacked by the Brute Men," Snow Lepress told them.

"But I thought the Brute Men were supposed to be gentle," said Cheetara.

"They were hit with this gas that flips your nature. It turned them aggressive," said Snow.

"Warp gas," muttered Tygra. "It was banned years ago but when have the mutants ever played fair."

"But if they're being manipulated by the gas then we can't attack, just like Panthro isn't," Cheetara pointed out.

"I know but we can't just sit back and do nothing," said Lion-O.

"Maybe we won't have to. Look," Tygra pointed to where the Brute Men were backing off, walking away from Panthro. "Looks like the warp gas wore off."

Tygra, Cheetara, and Snow Lepress hurried over to Panthro as the Brute Men were hit with another belt of warp gas and headed straight for Lion-O.

"Lion-O, watch out!" called Snow.

"Not again," groaned Lion-O as he used the sword to create a force field, pushing the warp gas and the Brute Men back at the mutants who fled into Castle Plun-Darr. The Brute Men then turned back to Lion-O who stood his ground but, thankfully, the warp gas wore off.

"And then the Brute Men left," Lion-O told Snarf and the kittens back at the lair. "Without so much as a thanks."

"Is that why you did it, Lion-O," asked Tygra. "For thanks?"

"No," said Lion-O, looking taken aback. "I did it because… because it was the right thing to do."

~ Coming of Age ~

"Hey guys," greeted Snow as she jogged down the front steps of the newly finished Cats' Lair to the Thundertank where Lion-O, Wily Kat, Wily Kit, and Snarf were waiting. "We all set to head out?"

"We're still waiting for Cheetara," Wily Kit told her.

"Cheetara late?" said Tygra as he and Panthro walked up to them.

"That's like the sun forgetting to set," said Panthro

"What do you want to do?" asked Snow, looking at Lion-O.

"We'll give her… five more minutes," decided Lion-O.

~ A Good While Later ~

"I don't like this. Cheetara's never been gone this long before," said Snow as she paced back and forth in the council room. "What if she's hurt badly? Or the mutants got her?"

Lion-O nodded, crossing his arms. "I know. I'm worried about her too. Maybe we should go out and look for her."

Suddenly Snarf bounced into the room, looking excited and nervous at the same time. "Cheetara's alright! She's back with this cat named Pumm-Ra."

"There's another cat here on Third Earth besides us?" asked Lion-O. Snarf nodded. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go meet him."

The trio joined the other Thundercats as Cheetara told them how she was captured by the mutants and then saved by Pumm-Ra, a puma from Thundera.

_The question is what to do with him, this Pumm-Ra, _thought Snow Lepress. _Should we let him stay and join us? Honestly, I'm not so sure. I don't know if I should believe him or not. Something about this puma feels…off. _

In the end, the Thundercats decided to hold a secret council headed by Tygra. Their consensus was to give the puma a trial period, allowing him to prove whether or not he was worthy of the code of Thundera and its sacred trust. With that settled, the Thundercats headed to bed; unaware of the ancient evil that was disrupting their lair.

~ Next Morning ~

"Alright! Three in a row!" said Lion-O as he threw a ring on Snarf's tail.

Snow smiled as she watched them from the steps of the lair. She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs, and laid her chin on top of her knees. It was nice to relax and enjoy a little peace and quiet but watching the Lair was boring.

"Bored, little lepress?" asked Lion-O, looking up at her.

"A little," Snow admitted.

"Me too," He said. "How about we look through the Cat's eyes and see what's going on out there?"

"Sure," She said, standing up and stretching. "Let's go take a look. Anything's better than sitting here and doing nothing."

They headed to the control room and Lion-O fired up the eyes yet… "That's strange."

"They're not working?" asked Snow. Lion-O nodded. "Maybe the Thundertank?"

They raced back outside to the tank but it was not working either.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Snow said. "First the Cat's Eyes and now the Thundertank isn't working? That can't be a coincidence."

"Maybe the sword can show us what's going on," said Lion-O.

They headed back up the stairs, into the Lair, and down the hall to the weapons' room but…

"The Sword of Omens," said Lion-O. "It's gone!"

"But how?" asked Snow.

"It must have been that Pumm-Ra!" said Snarf, jumping up and down. "I knew he was no good!"

"Then they should have listened to you instead of letting me stay in your home," said Pumm-Ra as he stood in the doorway. He wore the Claw Shield holding the…

"The Sword of Omens!" exclaimed Snow Lepress, her paws instantly going to her tonfas. "Snarf was right. He did take it."

"The sword will not answer to you," warned Lion-O.

Pumm-Ra laughed, raising the sword above his head and used the words only the Lord of the Thundercats could use. As a result, the sword electrocuted him and dropped to the floor. There was a scramble for the sword until Lion-O snatched it up and called the other Thundercats.

"Give up, Pumm-Ra," advised Lion-O as he and the other Thundercats surrounded the puma. "You're outnumbered."

"Why should I? You're the intruders not I! I who have lived here on Third Earth for over a thousand years," The puma said as he slowly turned from a puma into a giant, muscular mummy creature. "I am Mumm-Ra the ever-living and we will meet again!"

With that, Mumm-Ra disappeared.

_Peace and quiet once more, _thought snow as life in the Lair returned to normal._ Though the question is for how long? Especially with that mummy creature lurking around. What is his deal anyway? Calling us intruders._

"I still can't believe I trusted that Pumm-Ra so easily," Lion-O was saying as he back and forth in front of the stairs where Snow was sitting, lost in her own thoughts.

_I mean it's not our fault that our home blew up. We have nowhere else to go! Who is he to decide who can stay and who can go? This is our home too! Whether he likes it or not!_

"Earth to Snow!" called Lion-O, waving a paw in front of her jade eyes. "Anyone home?"

"Huh?" Snow blinked, shaking her head as reality came back into focus. Lion-O was squatting in front of her, his paw still raised. "Oh, sorry lion cub. Zoned out for a second there. Were you saying something?"

"How can I be the Lord of the Thundercats when I'm deceived so easily?"

"Hey, you didn't know," She put her paw against his. "You're still learning. With time, you'll be the greatest Lord of the Thundercats there has ever been."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Lion-O smiled making Snow's heartbeat quicken though she did not know why. She felt as if an invisible force was pulling her towards Lion-O, closer and closer until…

"There you two are!" They looked up to see Snarf running down the steps. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"What's up Snarf?" Lion-O asked.

"Dinner!" Snarf said coming to a stop, folding his front paws as his tail swished back and forth behind him. "You're late!"

"Alright, Snarf," laughed Lion-O. "We get it. We're coming."

"Same old Snarf," said Snow.

"Yep," Lion-O nodded, standing up. "We should go before he yells at us again. Ready?"

"Ready," She said. _Ready for anything._

**A/N: And there you go! Hope you enjoyed! Next to be updated Her Own Destiny. Til then read, review, and show the love! **


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